Pretoria - US President Donald Trump’s cosy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is paying dividends as a Russian cargo aircraft with masks and coronavirus supplies arrived in New York on Wednesday.
Trump accepted an offer on Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin to send personal protective equipment and other gear. Officials have said the plane carried 60 tons of ventilators, masks, respirators and other items.
Speaking to the Interfax news agency on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskoddgv said Trump accepted Putin's offer for shipping medical equipment to the United States during a phone call in which the leaders discussed the pandemic and oil markets.
"And I have to say, we've had great relationships with a lot of countries," Trump said. "Russia sent us a very, very large plane load of things, medical equipment, which was very nice."
US officials say that items that are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be put to immediate use.
The arrangement between the two leaders is that the US would return the favour once it was in a position to do so.
"It is important to note that when offering assistance to the US colleagues, the president (Putin) assumes that when US manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary," Peskov was quoted as saying.
Trump has alluded to the fact that if the US finds itself with extra ventilators, he would want to offer them to other countries suffering in the pandemic, although he did not specifically mention Russia.
Confirmed US coronavirus cases have surged to more than 215 000, with over 5 100 deaths. In Russia, the official tally of confirmed cases is over 2 300 with at least 17 deaths, although some doctors there have questioned the accuracy of official data.